HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/at/Qyugo-army-nato.RAWf_CuP.html NATO backs sacking of Yugo army chief BRUSSELS, June 25 (AFP) - NATO Secretary General George Robertson on Tuesday gave his backing to Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's decision to sack his army chief, General Nebojsa Pavkovic. "I think it will be a generally welcomed move. The key thing is that Yugoslavia goes ahead with reforming its military. Modernization of forces is extremely important," Robertson said. Kostunica also received support from the Yugoslav army, the United States and the European Union to sack Pavkovic, a close ally of former president Slobodan Milosevic. The army leadership gave its formal backing to Pavkovic's named successor, General Branko Krga, following a statement of support from top EU diplomat Javier Solana, who cited the necessity for civilian control of the military in a democracy. Pavkovic had a successful army career under Milosevic, who is now on trial for war crimes before a UN tribunal in The Hague. His presence in the army hierarchy had become a source of friction between Yugoslavia and Western powers, who saw the 56-year-old general as an obstacle to closer links between Serbia and NATO. Pavkovic immediately rejected the move as illegal and accused Kostunica of acting out of "personal vengeance." During the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, the general commanded the third army, which is accused by the UN court of persecuting the ethnic Albanian community in the troubled southern Serbian province. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
